The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-04-20
A CENTURY BANK.
CURIOUS FATE OF A LADY,s PA
TRIOTIC COLLECTION.
A Great Assortment of OnciaI Autographs
Made for Exhibition a Hundred Years
Hence-Congress was Shy, Hence Archi-
tect Clark's Queer Expedient.


/ WASHINGTON, April 20.--A tightly
closed box, about ten feet in height
stands on the east portico of the Capitol
and excites q great deal of curiosity il
the breasts of the thousands of people
that annually pass 1t y. Only a very few
of the people who see this box know
what ii contains. 1t has stood there fol-
nearly five years, and from present APP
pearances it is likely to stand there unit
it falls to pieces-that is, the outer case
for inside is strong iron safe, one Of
the strongest ever made.
eDuring the Centennial year, very
patriotic lady, living in Philadelphia,
called at the Capitol and asked Architect
Clark if he knew of such thing as collec.
ton of autographs of General Washington
and his Cabinet. Mr.. Clark replied that
he did not, and the lady said that it was
the one disappointment of her life that she
was unable to exhibit at the Centennial
Exhibition not only the autographs OF
the first President of the United States
but cabinet photograph of the same
at is crying shame" she remarked
4 "that the government has not collec.
ton of the autographs of all the prominent
men who first organized and started this
country. What great thing it would be
for the people at this Centennial to be
able to turn to an album showing the
handwriting of all the men who took an
interest in this young country and were
its officers at its startl What valuable
thing it would be if such collection was
owned by the governmentp She said it
was impossible to get such thing now,
but she intended to prevent recurrence
of what she considered national dis
grace at the second Centennial of the
United States The lady stated that she
intended to collect the autographs of the
President of the United States, his Cab
met, all the prominent officials of the
government at Washington, the presi-
dent of the Senate and the senators, the
| speaker of the House and members of
| Congress, as well as the governors of the
States, and all the members of the Legis-
latures of each State then in the Union.
| Not only did she intend to get the auto
graphs but the photographs of as many
| as possible.
She set to work and had large num-
Der of books made, 10x1S inches. Each
| page of these books was the same.
Printed at the top were the words
"Name, a"Official Position, Residence"
"Place of Birth" and Occupation" A
column was given to each one of these
| captions, and the first book was sent to
the President of the United States. He
| filled in his name, and then the Cabinet
| put in theirs then came the members of
the Senate and House, and next the Off
cials of the government. President
| Hayes name was secured with much diff
| ficulty, and so was the Cabinet. Con-
! gress, however, was more troublesome to
secure. The woman worked with great
| zela and sent these immense books all over
| the country, securing first one name,
then another. Then she commenced and
got the names of the governors of the
i n session ana q w th ID s&issl Ss f5
her to secure them. Others were sepa.
rated, and again the work of sending the
books over the country was resumed. A
vesy fine collection, considering the odds
! against her, was secured. Then she set
to work and had twelve large photograph
albums made. Each large album con-
tanned at least 500 spaces for photographs
from the small carte-de-visite to the
cabinet or panel She secured as many
photographs Of prominent men as she
could buy, beg, or borrow, and filed
eleven of these books--the odd one is
now on exhibition in the architects Of
fee in the Capitol. 1t has no pictures
in it.
While she was procuring the name of
President Hayes and the officials in
Washington, she used a large silver ink
stand and one pen. When she had filled
the first book with the names of "Promi-
nent Men," as she called them, she dedi-
Gated the book in beautiful handwriting
on the fly-leaf of the book "a Dedication
to the President, Vice President, Cabinet,
Speaker OF the House, Senators and
Members of Congress; also to President
Scott of the Pennsylvania, Railroad, y
who assisted her in sending the books
around the country. The dedication was
the following inscription: ''This book is
not to be opened until 1916, when 1t is to
be exhibited at our second Centennial.
Then 1t is to be opened and the President
of this country and high officials are to
write their names in it. They are to use
the same pen and silver inkstand which
will be found in the safe where these
books are kept. The safe Is to be closed
again at the end of the year, and the
books are not to be opened for another
hundred years; but the safe Is to be
opened every two years." This remark
able collection of autographs and photo
graphs was placed in the big safe she had
bought.
The patriotic lady after having spent q
large amount for the big safe, which is a
very formidable-looking one, had glass
doors put in front. The books were
arranged carefully inside, propped up SO
as to be visible through the glass doors,
and the silver inkstand and pens were
| placed in front of them. 1t was then
taken to the Statuary Hall, which was
the old House of Representatives in the
Capitol, and placed in one corner. She
announced that she intended to present
the safe and its contents to the United
States, with the proviso that 1t should
| not be opened exceDt every two wears
for airing, and at the next Centennial
| Mr.. Randall was Speaker at the time
and he gave permission to the architect
| to allow the safe to remain in the
Statuary Hall. 1t had not been there
long before some one in the Senate had
resolution of inquiry passed, calling on
the architect to explain why articles Of
manufacture were allowed to be exhib.
tied in the Statuary Hall. The architect
was called before the committee and
severely questioned as to why he had
allowed the safe and its contents to re.
/ main there He explained that the
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